Monthly Archives: August 2014

Your heart attack occurred early in the morning on November 30, 1994. I was aboard the USS Tripoli, returning to the states after a long six months at sea when I received notice. The Chaplain came to my stateroom to inform me and leave me a copy of the Red Cross message. The message said you were in a coma, and the doctors did not expect you to live. The letter also stated Mom needed me and requested my presence at home. Three days later I walked off the ship in Pearl Harbor, spent the night at Mom Ono’s house, and flew home to Tampa.

The somber reunion with Mom didn’t contain the same happiness and joy of our previous reunions, of course, but she put on her brave face, welcomed me home, and squeezed my hands and kissed me…

Last week, and for the first time ever, I ran a free promo for both my books at the same time.

For the benefit of first time visitors, I will mention here that The Necklace of Goddess Athena is my debut novel (a fantasy) while my second one, The Lady of the Pier, is a romance. Now, I had heard the warnings that you’re supposed to promote one book at a time, but I’ve never been one to follow rules. As always, I am keen to try new things and explore all possibilities so was rather looking forward to this experiment. Also, another novelty I went for, was to let the free promo run for all five days that KDP Select allows me, all in one go.

As always, I announced the promo everywhere. Both books were to be up for grabs worldwide from August 7-11. I spent the usual…

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The poetry of Nikki Anne Schmutz explores the journey we take inside ourselves, It is one that never ends; it leads to greater understanding, realizations gained only by aspiring to be more than we are in the present. There is great beauty to be found inside us all. Along the way we meet others who end up being vital parts of our growth, people we care for, people we love. Sometimes our connection with others brings us closer to deep understanding than anything else we experience.

Imagine what the world would be like if we could open a window to one another’s soul. What if we could look inside and glean all the information needed to truly understand each other as we help one another along through life? What kind of spiritual heights could we help one another achieve? Open your soul window…

‘In Speaking Of…’ is a collection of poetry inspired by the soul’s journey from dark to light. It takes raw emotion stemming from life’s darker moments and spins them into alchemical passages that expose truths we try to hide. Acceptance of ones’ inner self eventually leads to light, life, and happiness. ‘In Speaking Of…’ embraces the pain we feel in order to enhance the joyful moments we find within. Beauty amidst pain, light amidst darkness. Sometimes brutal yet still captivating, this collection of poems sends the reader into a journey of introspection and hopefully ends with the realization that life has more to offer than one ever thought possible.